The Sharjah Art Foundation has revealed the full list of artists who will be participating in the 16th edition of the Sharjah Biennial, which is scheduled to run from February 6 through June 15, 2025. This prestigious event, widely regarded as one of the foremost platforms for contemporary art in the world, will feature works by more than 140 artists, including prominent names like Arthur Jafa, Lorna Simpson, and Hugh Hayden.
Curated by Alia Swastika, Amal Khalaf, Megan Tamati-Quennell, Natasha Ginwala, and Zeynep Öz, the biennial is titled “To Carry.” The curators describe the theme as an “open-ended proposition,” inviting participating artists to reflect on the myriad changes impacting people and places, whether technological, spiritual, or moral.
Hoor Al Qasimi, president and director of the Sharjah Art Foundation, expressed excitement about this year’s biennial, stating, “The constellation of diverse methodologies that the five curators have gathered offers audiences the opportunity to engage in thought-provoking dialogues bridging the local context with global narratives about identity, movement, change, and collectivity. By centering the act of carrying, Sharjah Biennial 16 offers a space for imagining new collective futures while recognizing the weight of shared histories and experiences.”
The 2025 edition will see a strong representation of African and African diasporic artists, a testament to the global nature of the biennial. Akinbode Akinbiyi, a Nigerian-British photographer, will be featured alongside other prominent African artists such as Kaloki Nyamai from Kenya, Moroccan artists M’Barek Bouhchichi and M’hammed Kilito, Ivorian-French artist Marie-Claire Messouma Manlanbien, and Ndidi Dike, one of Nigeria’s leading contemporary artists. Their work will offer nuanced perspectives on identity, history, and contemporary African experiences.
In alignment with the biennial’s international scope, Indigenous artists will also be prominently featured, including Raven Chacon, Faye Heavyshield, and Emily Kame Kngwarreye. Their inclusion adds another layer to the dialogues surrounding tradition, cultural survival, and resistance.
The biennial, held across several venues in the United Arab Emirates, including Sharjah City, Al Hamriyah, and Al Dhaid, promises to be a deeply engaging and thought-provoking exhibition. With the theme “To Carry,” it aims to challenge audiences to consider the personal, historical, and collective burdens we carry—and what possibilities exist for release, healing, and transformation.
Below is the full list of participating artists:
- Akinbode Akinbiyi
- Adam HajYahia*
- Adelita Husni-Bey*
- Akira Ikezoe*
- Akram Zaatari
- Albert Refiti
- Alia Farid*
- Aluaiy Kaumakan
- Ana Iti
- Anga Art Collective*
- Arthur Jafa
- Ayman Zedani
- Ayşe İdil İdil
- Betül Aksu and Okyanus Çağrı Camcı with Merve Elveren*
- Ayumi Paul
- Aziz Hazara*
- Betty Adii with Septina Layan*
- Bint Mbareh
- Brian Martin
- Cannupa Hanska Luger
- Cassi Namoda*
- Cécile B. Evans*
- Chandralekha
- Chun Shao
- Citra Sasmita*
- Ciwas Tahos (Anchi Lin)
- Claudia Martínez Garay
- Concrete Thread Repertoire*
- Daniel Boyd*
- Dian Suci Rahmawati*
- Dilek Winchester
- Doruntina Kastrati*
- Driant Zeneli
- Ellen Pau*
- Emily Kame Kngwarreye
- Emre Hüner
- Fatma Belkıs
- Faye Heavyshield
- Fazal Rizvi*
- Fernando Palma Rodríguez
- Fiona Pardington*
- Güneş Terkol*
- Hashel Al Lamki*
- Helene Kazan*
- Hellen Ascoli*
- Heman Chong
- Hugh Hayden
- Hylozoic/Desires*
- Ipeh Nur*
- Joe Namy*
- John Clang
- Jorge González*
- Julianknxx
- Kaili Chun
- Kaloki Nyamai
- Kapulani Landgraf
- Kate Crawford & Vladan Joler
- Kate Newby*
- Liu Chuang
- Lorna Simpson
- Luana Vitra*
- Luke Willis Thompson*
- Maïa Tellit Hawad*
- Mabel Juli
- Mahmoud Khaled*
- Mangku Muriati*
- Mara TK*
- María José Murillo
- Mariam Alnoaimi*
- Marie-Claire Messouma Manlanbien
- M’Barek Bouhchichi
- Megan Cope
- M’hammed Kilito
- Michael Parekōwhai*
- Mila Turajlić*
- Mohammed Al Hawajri, Dina Mattar, and family with Ala Younis*
- Mónica de Miranda*
- Monira Al Qadiri
- Morris Foit
- Nadia Christidi with Sary Moussa and Joseph Kai*
- Nadiah Bamadhaj
- Naeem Mohaiemen*
- Nasser Al Yousif
- Ndidi Dike
- Nge Lay*
- Noémie Goudal
- Olivia Plender
- Onur Gökmen
- Paky Vlassopoulou
- Pallavi Paul*
- Pastizal Zamudio with Andrea Torreblanca*
- Photo Kegham–Kegham Djeghalian
- Pratchaya Phinthong*
- Raafat Majzoub
- Raffaela Naldi Rossano*
- Rajni Perera*
- Rajyashri Goody
- Raven Chacon*
- Reetu Sattar
- Restu Ratnaningtyas*
- Richard Bell
- Risham Syed*
- Rita Mawuena Benissan
- Rossella Biscotti*
- Roy Samaha*
- RRD (Reproduction and Distribution Network)
- Rully Shabara*
- S M Sultan
- Saffronn Te Ratana*
- Sakiya*
- Salima Hakim*
- Sancintya Mohini Simpson*
- Sangdon Kim
- Sarah Abu Abdallah*
- Serapis Maritime*
- Sevil Tunaboylu*
- Shivanjani Lal*
- Shubigi Rao
- Singing Wells*
- Sky Hopinka
- Stephanie Comilang*
- Steven Yazzie
- Subash Thebe Limbu
- Suzanne Lacy
- T. Vinoja*
- Tara Al Dughaither*
- Te Matahiapo Collective*
- The Voice of Domestic Workers x MOI TRAN*
- Tishani Doshi*
- Viswanadhan
- Vitória Cribb*
- Wael Shawky
- Womanifesto*
- Ximena Garrido-Lecca
- Yhonnie Scarce*
- Yim Yen Sum*
- Yvonne Koolmatrie
- Zadie Xa*
The 2025 edition promises to be a rich, diverse, and global exploration of the themes of carrying and connection, bridging artistic practices from all corners of the globe.
